23 February 2016 | Comments Off on HardGamma and Wonga launch new Fintech pre-accelerator

Warsaw, 23 February 2016

HardGamma Ventures and Wonga are excited to announce a new partnership and the launch of the inaugural edition of GammaRebels Fintech powered by Wonga, a brand new Fintech pre-acceleration programme for startups in Poland and the region.

This new six-week programme delivers a fresh approach for startups operating in the Fintech sector, with both HardGamma and Wonga hand-picking a cohort of up to ten startups which have a working prototype and have at least one technical co-founder.

Over the course of the programme, the startups will be provided with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with different aspects of the industry thanks to a number of leading mentors chosen by Wonga, with GammaRebels also lending its extensive know-how.

A planned Demo Day attended by investors and other key stakeholders is billed to take place in Berlin to top off the programme.

Applications are now open for the programme, and Fintech startups are invited to apply by clicking on this link. The deadline for applications is 23:59 CET on 8 March 2016.

HardGamma Ventures Managing Partner, Paweł Ciesielski said “Fintech is one of the most popular verticals for investment in Europe recently, and the GammaRebels pre-acceleration programme will help support Polish and regional startups to tap into the sector.”

Ciesielski added that “GammaRebels’ cooperation with Wonga will set a new standard for Fintech pre-acceleration programmes in Poland, and we hope that the initial cohort will produce some potentially strong players in the market.”

Piotr Tuszyński, HardGamma’s Acceleration Manager who co-leads the programme’s execution, said “We believe that joining forces with such an innovative partner as Wonga will create a programme where Fintech startups can really push their business to the next level.”

Marcin Borowiecki, Managing Director of Wonga in Poland said “Wonga is one of the leading companies on the Fintech scene and employs in Poland experts who know the market inside-out. We are strongly committed to Polish local market, and we are also ready to help startups from Poland and CEE region in their European expansion.”

“Fintech, like every other market, has its rules of the game and learning them in the early stage of new service market launch may give founders the edge. Together with HardGamma we decided that a Fintech-oriented pre-acceleration program is an option that was missing to date. We are ready to develop the programme further, but now we are waiting for the first feedback from startups,” Borowiecki added.

GammaRebels is a startup accelerator programme for technology entrepreneurs which is managed by HardGamma Ventures, one of Poland’s leading venture capital funds founded in 2011. One of the most 100 influential accelerators worldwide according to tech website Hot Topics, GammaRebels has run two editions and earlier in 2016 launched a partnership with Startup Next to run the Startup Next Warsaw pre-accelerator, a Techstars programme. Managed locally but driven globally, HardGamma Ventures is focused on early-stage startups, with investments in Poland and the CEE region, as well as London and the US. Previously, HardGamma Ventures invested in two editions of Springboard and is currently an active investor in Techstars London.

About wonga.com

Wonga entered the Polish market in April 2013. Since the very beginning the company has focused on servicing consumers who easily manage their household budget, who maintain financial liquidity and look for an alternative to banking products. Wonga stands out with its offer that rewards clients for paying back loan rates on time. Debt collection practices are also aligned with this pro-consumer approach involving “soft” methods and mutually agreed pay-back schemes. In 2014 Wonga launched additional changes to its offer, extending the loan term to 60 days and introducing a limited-cost 1st loan which efficiently selects potential clients. Wonga was the first lending company on the Polish market which signed an information exchange agreement with the Polish Credit Ratings Agency BIK. In June 2015 Wonga launched a unique financial education platform – Kapitalni.org – which is tightly linked to the company’s core product. Consumers who take part in this educational program are rewarded with access to better financing terms. Wonga plans to engage half a million of its registered clients in its financial education services by 2017.

hardgamma.com

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